2025 Honda Pilot: sudden loss of power

Filed Oct 22, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · OK

My 2025 Honda Pilot TrailSport has lost electric power steering assist twice. First failure, about 6,000 miles: the vehicle lost power steering while driving on pavement in normal road use, with no water or off-road driving involved. The Honda dealer replaced the steering rack under warranty. Second failure, about 24,000 miles: a few days after the vehicle was driven through shallow puddles on a trail at Broken Bow Lake, OK (about 5 inches deep, below the wheel rims, about 5 mph), it lost power steering assist while being driven to work on public roads in Lawton, OK. The dealer attributed the failure to water and mud entering the power steering electrical connector/wiring and denied warranty coverage. A Honda field representative upheld the denial and told me to file an insurance claim. This failure is in the same area the dealer worked on during the first rack replacement. The failed parts are at the dealer. The steering system's electrical connections should be sealed against ordinary road splash, especially on the TrailSport, which Honda markets as its most rugged and off-road capable SUV. Here, shallow water led to a loss of steering assist days later, in normal traffic on a public road. Any driver who goes through a flooded street or heavy rain could face the same failure without warning. Loss of assist sharply increases steering effort and could cause a crash. I ask the federal safety agency to review whether the electric power steering connectors on 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles are adequately protected from water intrusion.

Filed Sep 25, 2026 · Transmission · 52,646 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle recently received routine maintenance by the dealer; however, approximately one month later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power and came to a complete stop. The messages “Transmission Temperature -Avoid Heavy Acceleration and High Speeds”, “Transmission System Problem”, “Apply Parking Brake When Parked”, “Emissions System Problem”, and “Power May Be Reduced - See Your Dealer” messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 52,646.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · VA

Lost power on steering wheel while driving, unable to turn left/right. All of the warning lights related to braking, lane assist, hill descent, adaptive cruise control, trailer stability assist, hill start assist, low speed breaking, auto-high beam, parking sensor detector, etc.. "All wheel drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered. See your dealer."

Filed Sep 2, 2026 · Engine · NC

On Friday August 21,2026 at approximately 10:00am I departed my house. Approximately 4 minutes later while traveling the engine lost power and began misfiring. Steering and braking capabilities were both reduced. Numerous system failure lights were flashing. The vehicle is currently at the dealership awaiting Honda repair plan.

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Steering · OK

The vehicle has suffered a life-threatening, complete loss of power steering while driving under identical, hazardous conditions on two separate occasions. There were no warning lights or inductors prior to either event. 1. The vehicle suffered a complete steering failure while driving over railroad tracks with a child inside the vehicle. A full replacement of the steering gearbox and power steering rack was performed under warranty (Defect Code: 03001 [Binding/Sticking], Symptom Code: 03217 [Not Operating]). This failure occurred only 20 days after receiving routine manufacturer maintenance from a Honda service department. 2. The exact same dangerous defect recurred, causing another complete loss of power steering while driving over railroad tracks with a child in the vehicle. The service department confirmed they successfully duplicated this power steering failure twice during active diagnostics.

Filed Aug 18, 2026 · FL

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned and is it available for inspection upon request? The Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor seized completely, causing the A/C compressor clutch to overheat and melt. Yes, the vehicle and the failed components are available for inspection upon request.2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A completely seized A/C compressor pulley creates a severe mechanical hazard while driving. Because the compressor is driven by the engine's serpentine belt, a locked pulley can cause the belt to melt, snap, or throw off entirely while the vehicle is in motion. If the belt fails, it results in an immediate loss of power steering assist, loss of alternator charging, and engine overheating. This creates an abrupt, catastrophic loss of vehicle control on the road, putting my family and other drivers at extreme risk. Furthermore, dealership staff dangerously misinformed us that the vehicle was "safe to drive" despite this critical failure.3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?Yes. The problem was officially diagnosed and confirmed by a local authorized Honda dealership service center (8/17/26).4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, the vehicle was inspected, and the failure was documented by an authorized Honda dealership representative. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The primary symptom was a sudden failure of the air conditioning system to blow cold air (afternoon of 8/14/26).

Filed Aug 16, 2026 · Driver assistance, Steering · PA

during a routine trip thru the [XXX]/[XXX] section of [XXX] our 2025 Honda Pilot suddenly lost power steering capability, we could hardly control the vehicle and had to manage an exist to a side street. We received a message on the dash board of a lost of power steering assistance and to notify the dealer. We shut the car off, restarted and gained control of the vehicle less the lane departure feature. At this time we made an appointment with Fred Beans in Abington for service, we have lost confidence in the vehicles safety after this incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · RI

On 3/16/26 I attempted to accelerate and the vehicle experienced severe "bucking" and gear hunting hesitation before losing all drive power and stalling. Following the stall, the engine would not crank or "catch" despite multiple attempts. State Police arrived as I was in an unsafe location (blind on-ramp to highway) they called their tow trucks deeming it hazardous to wait as Honda Roadside Assistance would not arrive for an estimated 60-90 minutes. It was brought to the local dealership. After an hour from incident to inspection at the local Honda dealership, the vehicle powered on normally of which no codes showed and the vehicle started with no issues. The manufacturer and dealer state they cannot replicate the problem and found no historical or pending diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). Despite the lack of codes, these symptoms are a direct match for NHSTA Recall Campaign 25V‑031 (Honda Recall AL0) which was officially announced to address Torque Control Failures caused by the FI-ECU software. According to Honda’s safety report, improper programming in the fuel injection unit causes the engine to stall during "sudden changes in throttle opening"—which is exactly what I experienced. As of now, my VIN has not been identified on the current recall list. This loss of power during acceleration creates an immediate safety risk of rear-end collisions and leaves the driver stranded in active traffic.

Filed Dec 25, 2025 · Engine · 160 miles · LA

Vehicle was driving normally when the engine failed and lost power. The vehicle following nearly rear ended ours. Pulled the car over into a side street and tried to restart with no success. Emission control problem warning displayed. Called road side assistance and had the vehicle towed to the dealer from where it was purchased. Dealer contacted us an told us that the engine had seized an would need a new motor. The vehicle was 7 days old and had 160 miles on it.

Filed Nov 8, 2025 · Steering, Transmission · CO

Tonight, 11/8/2025 at 7pm MT, while traveling straight at 25-30 mph, power steering suddenly failed and vehicle reported that AWD failed with only front wheels powered. Many other failure warnings simultaneously appeared on dash (collision detection, LKAS, parking assist, etc). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My family's safety was put at risk. Sudden loss of power steering is very surprising to the driver, combined with the dash reporting a multitude of failure warnings all at once. If we had been driving on the freeway at speed or in the middle of a turn this would have been a very serious safety issue, easily leading to a collision given the sudden change in steering input needed. If traveling in snow or ice, losing AWD suddenly would also have been a serious safety issue. No one has inspected the vehicle since the incident, this just happened tonight. The vehicle has only 5,700 miles on it, was serviced by the dealer within the last couple hundred miles to repair all outstanding recalls, and I have had no other issues with the vehicle. There was no warning about and issues with the vehicle prior to this incident. The only thing out of the ordinary immediately prior to the incident is that my phone wasn't able to pair to the infotainment system (which never happens).